password protecting folders in xp

[mewannafastpc]

could someone here tell me how to password lock a folder. in xp pro
like if someone wanted to open a folder on one of my harddrives it would require a password before opening up. I don't want to put a password on the computer because i have an open computer policy except for those important papers, and lab reports i doin't want my little cousins messing with

[lomn75]

You could add some third-party encryption tools (based off GPG, for instance), but a better method is the whole computer password. Why not rig a second, limited, no-password login (like the built-in Guest) for the open comp policy?

[PadanFain]

You can hide them or encrypt them in XP

Problem with the native encrypt is you can still browse the files... just not "use them".

If you are serious about it then you should invest in something or use a password for the entire computer

encrypt - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q308989&sd=tech

[mewannafastpc]

i don't like the guest account because then i'll have to click on a user when logging in and that becomes a hassle for me i like it to go straight into my account.
is there a way i lock a harddrive partition then?

[El Nacho]

i don't like the guest account because then i'll have to click on a user when logging in and that becomes a hassle for me i like it to go straight into my account.
is there a way i lock a harddrive partition then?


thats just damn lazy....

[mewannafastpc]

lazy is a relative term. i don't think i'm lazy. i do my college work and i work and stuff so cutting a few seconds off my boot up time isn't too much to ask. besides i'm the only person using the computer on a regular basis and my cousins come over unexpectedly so i won't know when to put on the guest account, and i might not be home when they come over.

[darkpark]

just how computer savy are your cousins? why not put the folder into an obscure location?
for example: c:\windows\system32\your_folder
would they really be nosing around there? you can also give the folder some wierd name that sounds like a system folder.

better yet, why not invest in a usb drive? they're cheap. will all of your stuff fit on one? i'm seen ones as large as 1 gigabyte.

[Phoenix86]

better yet, why not invest in a usb drive? they're cheap. will all of your stuff fit on one? i'm seen ones as large as 1 gigabyte.
They have ones up to 4GB. Also ones that have secure partitions, or fingerprint protected.

http://www.lexar.com/jumpdrive/index.html

Check them out, 2GB is the highes with that company, but I have seen 4GB ones.

[mewannafastpc]

thanks man i'll look into one of those drives but i think i just might have to put it into a really obscure location...cuz those things look expensive